The Department of Justice is seeing more church-based investment fraud in the Nashville area and a rise in financial schemes more generally. This year, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee has made indictments totaling $60 million.

A church-goer uses his or her fellow members as sources to invest in a phony product or money-making opportunity. U.S. Attorney Jerry Martin says people should be cautious.

“Because they go to church with that person, there’s sort of a natural instinct to be trusting and to think that the individual running the Ponzi scheme – or whatever kind of scheme it is – is above board.”

If it sounds too good to be true, Martin says it probably is.

A spike in investment fraud nationwide has the Justice Department hosting educational events in six financial centers, including Nashville. Thursday’s event at Vanderbilt Law School is slated to include national experts and local victims – some who lost their entire life savings.

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Events are being held in Stamford, Conn.; Nashville, Tenn.; San Francisco; Denver; Cleveland and Miami.